Here's Why The EU Still Won't Approve Tough Sanctions On Russia

The E.U. already imposed sanctions on Russia in March over its stealth invasion and annexation of Crimea, but those lacked teeth. In the week after Russian-backed separatist accidentally shot down Malaysia Flight MH17 on July 17, killing 298 people, some E.U. members have urged much tougher sanctions.

Another key factor is Europe's reliance on Russian gas. Interestingly, several countries that import a significant number of Russian gas are pro-sanctions while others that do not import any Russian gas are still against sanctions.

Nevertheless, there's no collective political will to truly punish Vladimir Putin as long as Russian companies are supplying about 30% of Europe's gas. In fact, Ukraine claims that E.U. energy companies are sending less gas to Ukraine because of threats from Russian state oil giant Gazprom.